Apparatus for removing impurities from air



July 25, 1950 o. G. CULPEPPER 2 APPARATUS FOR REMOVING IMPURITIES FROM AIR Filed May 11, 1945 6 SheetsSheet l 255 M2 I J 20 Hal lwvewi'or 04/1 51? 6 Cu; PEPPL-R July 25, 1950 o. G. CULPEPPER 2,516,680

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING IMPURITIEIS FROM AIR Filed May 11, 1945 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 01. 1 0? G CUL PEPPER July 25, 1950 o. G. CULPEPPER APPARATUS FOR REMOVING IMPURITIES FROM AIR Filed May 11, 1945 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 01 my? 5 CUL P PP A G- 1 ATTORNEY July 25, 1950 o. G. CULPEPPER APPARATUS FOR REMOVING IMPURITIES FROM AIR 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 11, 1945 1770677 for 04/14? 6? Cu; PEPPER ATTORNEY July 25, 1950 o. G. CULPEPPER APPARATUS FOR REMOVING IMPURITIES FROM AIR 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 11, 1945 0; men? G. 60% PEP 5/? July 25, 1950 o. G. CULPEPPER 2,516,689

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING IMPURITIES FROM AIR 'IIIIIIIII} //IIIIIII OL/Vfi? G. CULPEPPEE Patented July 25, 1 950 APPARATUS FOR REMOVING IMPURITIES FROMAIR Oliver G. Culpepper, Charlotte, N. 0.

Application May 11, 1945, Serial No. 593,286

This invention relates to method and means for removing lint and other foreign particles from air in a circulatory system in a building or for removing the lint and other impurities from air contained within a room or building.

It is an object of this invention to provide a screen disposed in an opening in a building whereby th circulatory system of the building will force air into the building and withdraw it from the building and in the wall of the building through which the air is withdrawn for recirculation into the building a suitable screen is disposed through which the air is adapted to pass to remove lint and other foreign particles from the air, said apparatus comprising in addition blower and suction nozzles adapted to traverse the screen for removing the collected lint therefrom, the screen being adapted to be intermittently moved in step by step relation while the nozzles intermittently move transversely of the screen while the screen is in stationary position for removing the lint from a section of the screen as the nozzles travel transversely of the screen, together with automatic means for intermittently moving the screen and the nozzles alternately.

It is another object of this invention to provide a portable apparatus having a screen and adapted to be positioned within a building or a room with means for drawing the air from the room through the screen and discharging it again into the room together with suction and blower nozzles adapted to traverse the screen for removing the lint collected on the screen together with suitable means for catching the lint after it is removed by the nozzles from the screen.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus disassociated from the opening in which it would be positioned;

Figure 2 is a vertical view partly in section and taken along the line 2--2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a wiring diagram of the apparatus;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view through a building and an associated blower room and showing the apparatus installed;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 11 in Figure 6, but showing the screen in schematic form and omitting some of the parts;

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view through a portable apparatus substantially along the line 8-8 in Figure 3 Claims. (Q1. 18361) Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 9-9 in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a front elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure 8 and looking from the left hand side of the apparatus in Figure 8.

Referring more specifically to the drawings the numerals H1 and H indicate lower horizontal channel members which have secured to their lower surfaces bearing members 12 and I3 in which rollers l4 and I5 are rotatably mounted. Mounted on the upper side of the channel members l0 and II are upright posts it and H and on the upper ends of these uprights l6 and I! are mounted bearing brackets 29 and 2| each of these brackets having a vertically disposed slot 22 therein in which a bolt 23 is mounted, said bolt being secured in the uprights l6 and l! respectively so that the brackets 2i and 22 can be adjusted vertically by means of bolts 28 and 29. The bearing brackets and 2! have rotatably mounted therein rollers 25 and 213. The rollers 25 and 26 and rollers 14 and I5 have mounted thereon an endless screen 27. This screen 21 is adapted to be disposed in a suitable air passageway to be presently described, for removing lint and other impurities from the air passing through the screen.

The channel bars l0 and II have mounted thereon bearing members 30, 3|, 32 and 33. In bearings and 3| there is mounted for rotation a traverse screw 34 which has fixed on one end thereof a gear 35. Also rising upwardly from the channel members In and II are plate members 31, 38, 39 and 40 which are rotatably penetrated by the bearing end portions of the traverse screw 34 and a second traverse screw 4|. The traverse screw 4| is similar in all respects to traverse screw 34 and has a gear 42 on one end thereof. The two gears 35 and 42 are driven by means of an intermediate pinion 43 fixed on the shaft of a suitable electric motor 45. Motor 45 is a reduction gear motor and thus gives a much slower speed to the traverse rollers 34 and 4! than would be the case of a conventional electric motor.

The plates 3'! and 38 have secured therein suitable elongated rods 4! and 48 around which is curled the upper edges of a casing 50 which encircles the traverse screw 34. The rods 41 and 48 penetrate angle iron brackets 44 and 46, said brackets being secured to uprights I6 and I! respectively. The traverse screw 34 has suitable traversing grooves 5| and 52 therein.

Surrounding the traverse screw 34 is a ring or collar 53 which has threadably secured there at the lower end of a stud 55, said stud having a dog 56 turnably mounted in its lower end for fitting loosely into and traversing the grooves 5| and 52. This member 56 is a conventional dog such as used in traversing screws of this type. The stud has a shoulder 58 thereon and mounted above the shoulder is a suitable grooved roller 60 which is rotatably mounted on the stud 55. A suitable collar BI is adjustably secured on the stud 55 for rotatably confining the roller 60 on the stud. This roller 60 guides the nozzle mechanism to be presently described, back and forth along the traversing screw 34 in its back and forth movement.

The stud 55 is threaded at its upper end with a standard pipe thread and receives a suitable T 65 which has a nipple 66 secured thereto and to the other end of which is secured an air-suction nozzle 61 which is adapted to travel in close proximity to the screen 21. Connected to the T 65 also is a flexible hose H! which extends upwardly and is connected to a suitable pipe Tl held by a suitable U-bolt I2 in an angle bar I3 secured to the'upright I6. Pipe II leads to a suitable vacuum chamber 69 which is connected by a pipe 68 to a reversed pressure or suction pump I4 driven by a V-belt I5 mounted on a pulley It and also mounted on a pulley TI on electric motor I8. Suction pump has an exhaust pipe 64 which is led to the exterior of the building.

Surrounding the traversing screw 4| is the same structure as previously described for the traverse screw '34 and like reference characters will apply with the prime notation added as the structure is identical except that the nozzle carried thereby is a blowing nozzle and not a suction nozzle. For purposes of description this nozzle will be given reference characterBiI which is mounted in the same manner as described for nozzle 61. Suitably connected to nozzle 80 as previously described for nozzle 6! is a suitable flexible pipe 3! which is connected to a pipe 82 secured by a U-bolt 83 in a bracket I9. A pressure pipe 82 leads to a compression tank 85 and a pipe it leads from compression tank 85 to a compressor 81 which is driven by means of the pulley 88 having a V-belt B9 thereon mounted on a pulley 953 on electric motor 9! suitably supported. The compressor 81 is conventional and has an intake pipe 63.

The flexible pipes H! and .8I in order to traverse a wide area of screen which may be very much wider than that shown in the drawings, is coiled several times around suitable pipes 93 and 94 whose ends .are supported by angle irons S5 and .96 mounted on the uprights I6 and IT. The screen 21 is suitably guided byaroller ,9] suitably mounted in bearingsBB. I

The rollers .25 and 2.6 are drivenlby. an electric gear motor I50 having a pinion IEII on its shaft extending therefrom,.which meshes with the gear I02 mounted. on an extension 25a of roller 25. The extension 25a also has a V-pulley 25?) mounted thereon and the .roller .26 has an extension bearing portion 26a on which a V-pulley 25b is mounted anda V-belt .I 03 is mounted on both of these V-pulleys whereby both of the, rollers 25 and .26 will be driven in unison .and in. the same direction.

I Asu-itablesource of electric current is (led to :th ev apparatus by electric wires A and B. Branch wires C and D .lead to wires E and .F and wires E and F are connected to wires G and H which are connected to the -two notors l8 and '90 which are continuously operated for operating the suction and compression apparatus. Wires I and J branch off from wires C andD and pass through a suitable solenoid switch II ii in thewires I and J and these wires I and J after passing the solenoid" 4 forming mechanism therein to send a low voltage through wires K and L to the coil of solenoid switch H0. Wires M and N lead also from the time switch III to a solenoid switch mechanism I I2 located in wires 0 and P leading through the solenoid switch mechanism H2 to electric gear motor 45.

ber of minutes or seconds the solenoid switch III] will be energized to close the circuit of wires I and J to operate electric motor I for a predetermined length of time to advance the screen the Width of the nozzles after the nozzles have made one sweep laterally across the screen. Then this current is automatically cut off and is turned onto wires M and N to energize solenoid switch H2 for a, predetermined length of time which will energize electric motor 45 which operates the traversing screws 34 and M for a length of time sufficient to cause the nozzles 61 and 80 to traverse to the other side of the screen and then this solenoid switch H2 is automatically de-energized and switch III] is again energized and the cycle is performed over and over again.

In Figures ,6 and '7 one manner of installing the apparatus is shown wherein a suitable building or enclosure IE5 such as a cotton nill has an air inlet duct HE through which air is forced through outlets II? into the interior of the mill. lhis is forced by a blower fan H8 driven by a suitable electric motor H9 through the medium of a V-pulley I28. This is a conventional blower fan and need not be further described. This fan is located in an adjacent room I22 on the exterior of the building. This room may have a suitable automatically operated set of vanes I23 for allowing a certain amount of fresh air to be taken into the system from time to time, all of which is conventional.

An opening I24 is provided between the room I23 and the room H5 whereby the air which is forced into the room is drawn back through the opening IE4. It is in this opening that the above described apparatus is adapted to be disposed and operates as above described.

In Figures 8 9, and 10 a modified form of the apparatus is shown. Like reference characters will apply to like parts and only the new features will be described. This is a portable apparatus which is adapted to be placed anywhere in a mill for cleaning the air especially where the mill is not equipped with a ventilating system as shown in Figures 6 and 7.

The portable apparatus comprises a wheeled framework I313 having a plurality of wheels I3! on which the apparatus is mounted. This framework I39 has a suitable casing I32 in which traversing screws which are identical to the ones previously described are mounted and bear like reference characters. The nozzles also are identical and the nozzle structure and the coiled hose associated therewith with the exception that the rods 93 and 9 3 are supported in the ends of the casing IBI instead of by brackets and 95 as previously described.

The pipes it and M, as previously described in the present instance instead of being connected to the pipes H and 82, are connected to pipes I35 and IE6 respectively which lead to vacuum and compression chambers respectively [31 "and 5.38 and pipes I39 and MEI respectively lead to suction and compression pumps I42 and I43 respectively, driven by a single electric motor I44 through means or shafting I45 and a. plurality of couplings I46. A pair of suitable electric wires l i'a' and I 43 are connected to the motor. Leading from compressor pump I43 is a pipe 121 which is connected to a woven wire container 529 which has therein a finely woven fabric liner 129 adapted to retain the lint forced through pipe I21.

In order to induce the flow of air through the screen 27 in this portable form, the conduit I59 is provided, having a blower fan I5I therein driven by a motor I52 connected by wires I53 and 194 to a suitable drop cord as well as wires it? and 548. These motors I44 and I52 run continuously. The traversing screws in this portable apparatus are driven by means of a suitable electric motor 155 connected to a suitable source of electric current by means of wires 199 and I5? and a V-belt connects the motor and a V-pulley I59 on one of the shafts of the traversin screws. These traversing screws are connected together by pinions I59 and Ifil although this will drive the two traversing screws in opposite directions, nevertheless, due to their equal reverse grooved construction the nozzles will travel along with each other. In the portable form instead of having upper and lower double rollers as previously described, single rollers I and iii are mounted into the bearings H2 and 173 on the upper ends of frame members 174 and [75 and in bearings I33 and 134 at lower end. The upper roller Ill is driven by a suitable electric motor I through electrical wires ill and E79 and a pinion H9 on its shaft engages a gear Hill! on extension shaft 18! of roller 5 ill which imparts movement to the screen. The operation. of the screen and the traversing screws intermittently is the same as previously described though not shown in this portable apparatus. The wiring diagram and time switch which has been described for the stationary mechanism is also employed on this portable apparatus as a suitable drop cord will convey current to the portable apparatus.

In Figures 8 and 10 it is to be noted that the nozzles sweep the screen at a point in a separate compartment below the air stream. This is true in the form shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7. It will be noted in Figure 2 that there is a break line near the top of the drawing which indicates that the top rollers and 29 would be considerably more elevated than shown in the drawings so that the lower portion of apparatus, including that portion of the screen which is traversed by the nozzles, would not be in the air stream passing through the screen. It is also to be noted in Figure 7 that the opening 124 does not extend down far enough to allow the air stream to sweep that portion of the screen which is being traversed by the nozzles.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for removing lint and other foreign particles from a screen through which air is being forced comprising a blower nozzle mounted on one side of the screen and a suction nozzle mounted on the other side of the screen, the two nozzles being mounted in axial alinement with each other, means for forcing air through the blower nozzle and through the screen and means for creating a suction in the suction nozzle to withdraw lint from the screen, means for moving the nozzles together across the screen from one side to the other to remove the lint therefrom and means for intermittently advancing the en a distance equal to the width oi the noz- -'s after the nozzles have passed transversely auLOSS the screen and before the nozzles move in the reverse direction across the screen.

2. Apparatus for removing lint and other forparticles from a screen through which air has been forced comprising means for imparting intermittent movement to the screen, a pair of nozzles disposed on opposed sides of the screen, means for forcing air through one of the nozzles and against the screen, means for creating a partial vacuum in the other nozzle, the two nozzles being disposed in the same vertical and horizontal planes, means for traversing the nozzles simul taneonsly back and forth across the screen and control means for energizing the means for moving the screen and do'energizing the means for moving the nozzles while the screen is moving and also for moving the nozzles back across the screen while the means for moving the screen are tie-energized.

3. apparatus for removing lint and other foreign particles from the air in a room, comprising an opening through which the air is adapted to pass, means for iorcing no air through the opening, a screen disposed in said opening and through which the air is adapted to pass, a pair of nozzles mounted on opposed sides of the screen, said nozzles being opposed to each other on the op posed sides of the screen and being in the same horizontal and vertical plane, means for creating a draft in one nozzle, means for creating a suction in the other nozzle, means for traversing the nozzles together laterally of the screen while the screen is motionless, means for imparting motion to the screen to move it a predetermined amount, and control means for the nozzle moving means and the screen moving means for imparting motion to the screen and causing the nozzles to remain stationary while the screen is moved and for causing the screen to be stationary while the nozzles are traversed across the screen.

OLIVER G. CULPEPPER.

The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATEN'I'S Number Name Date 849,061 Garner Apr. 2, 1907 995,860 Kestner July 4, 1911 1,252,472 Miles Jan. 8, 1918 1,375,663 Ainsworth Apr. 26, 1921 1,638,067 Szekely Aug. 9, 1927 1,695,734: Sternberg Dec. 18, 1928 1,837,836 Powell Dec. 22, 1928 1,913,885 Jordahl June 13, 1933 1,997,826 Kricl: Apr. 16, 1935 2,109,512 Stacey, Jr. Mar. 1, 1938 2,198,449 Atkins Apr. 23, 1940 2,289,700 Eiben July 14, 1942 2,311,374 Farmer et a1 Feb. 16, 1943 

